The AIM process is a strategic planning process for school districts to create Comprehensive Health and Wellness Plans (CHWPs) aligned with the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model. The purpose of this study is to describe results of this process as it was implemented with 21 rural school districts. An 81-item survey was completed by…

It has previously been shown that the effective use of dialogic instruction has a positive impact on student achievement. In this study, we investigate whether linguistic features used to classify properties of classroom discourse generalize across different subpopulations. Results showed that the machine learned models perform equally well when…

This paper describes a theoretical model for systemic change as it concerns the learning and teaching of mathematics in K-12 schools, with particular attention being paid to the rural context. Systemic change is the active process of establishing change in the community through lasting, long-term relationships, practices, and procedures (Adelman…

The authors of this research paper believe that school principals play an irreplaceable role in raising the school efficiency. Their role is rather neglected in the Croatian academic debates on improving the quality of school system. This research intends to enhance the scientific level of their position as irreplaceable factors in a school…

In light of conceptual metaphor theory, historical mathematicians' and students' difficulty with negative numbers reveals that the collecting objects metaphor may be a cognitive obstacle to those first learning about negative numbers. Moreover, consistency of physical motions with targeted ideas is a factor of cognition. Thus, this…

This paper addresses the affective human experiences in terms of the emotions of South African teacher-students while attaining computer competencies for teaching and learning, and for ODL. The full mixed method study investigated how computers contribute towards affective experiences of disadvantaged teacher-students. The purposive sample related…

IMPACT is a media and technology program designed to support and promote effective instruction through the integration of technology. The model is currently being implemented in 30 K-12 schools throughout North Carolina. This evaluation study investigated the effects of this model on the attitudes, behaviors, and activities of students and…

As rural states nationwide struggle with cuts in education funding, declining enrollments and increased costs it becomes crucial to examine those schools that are successful in educating their students. These higher performing schools can then be used as models for education excellence throughout the state. Defining higher-performing is not an…

This paper describes the research and development of a conceptual framework to use in restructuring rural schools. In reviewing the literature of school restructuring, citations were categorized under concepts related to fundamental change. Initial assumptions about school restructuring were identified, such as "learning is participatory."…

The purpose of this study was to describe and conceptualize the view small-town secondary principals have of their role. The method used was indepth interviews, with researchers going to 30 small-town high schools in Michigan and spending some hours with each principal. The accumulated data consisted of 324 single-spaced pages of verbatim…

Strategic planning can assist a rural school district to determine its future, rather than allowing others to determine it. Strategic planning is a discipline and a process that produces a results-based, action-oriented plan for the next 3-5 years. Organizations either ascend or decline, and strategic planning can help an organization create a new…

Oklahoma State University's proposed model for combining preservice education programs for elementary and special education (mildly handicapped) majors is based upon three levels of understanding: cognitive understanding, affective understanding, and actional understanding. Each level addresses the same six components: reflective teaching,…

This paper reports preliminary results of two models of school reform initiated in Texas during the summer of 1997. The Texas Accelerated Schools Model began with an intense 5-day training of school teams from schools that had completed a "buy-in" process, along with their external coach, The Schoolwide Planning Summer Institutes began…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997 requires Individualized Education Program teams to consider positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) based on functional behavioral assessment for students with disabilities whose behavior impedes their learning or the learning of others. To meet federal mandates, educational…

There is an evolving paradigm shift in the field of rural education away from emulating urban schools and toward a pedagogy of place. This shift is influenced by the following trends: 1) the rediscovery of the unique features of rural and small schools as strengths to be nurtured, not problems to be solved; 2) the recognition that centralized,…